Smoother ride for Ganpati at Aarey Milk Colony

Aug 10, 2014, 06:36 IST
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Ranjeet Jadhav

Road leading to Chhota Kashmir Lake at Aarey Milk Colony is full of potholes. PWD to repair it temporarily this Ganeshotsav

This Ganeshotsav, immersions at the Chhota Kashmir Lake at Aarey Milk Colony might be a ride smoother than expected. Given the number of potholes at Aarey Milk Colony, the Public Works Department (PWD) authorities have begun temporary repair work on the road.

The Aarey Colony road has been repaired only twice since last year. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav

Last week, when mid-day visited the arterial Aarey Road which connects the Goregaon end at the Western Express Highway with Marol and Powai, we found that there were more than 600 potholes on the road.

The lake, also known as Aarey Tank, near Chhota Kashmir is an important location for Ganpati visarjan. More than 2,000 small and big idols are immersed in the lake. However, it is also a pothole-laden stretch and poses an inconvenience to devotees during Ganeshotsav.

A senior PWD official, requesting anonymity, said that the department plans to speed up the work so motorists and devotees don’t face issues during the festival. “The stretch is an important visarjan point. However, since it is monsoon, we cannot carry out permanent repairs. So, we will undertake temporary repairs on the stretch,” he explained.

However, the best PWD will do is fill the potholes with a stone powder mixture, which is known to wash away in the rain. Aarey Milk Colony CEO LR Bhosale told sunday mid-day that several reminders were sent to PWD but no proper work has been done. Since last year, the Aarey Colony Road has been repaired twice — once before and once after the monsoon. It was also patched up and repaired in the meantime.

It should be noted that the BMC has plans to construct the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), which will use privately-owned plots at Aarey.